Underground Pool Review

With the DS being as popular as it has been, it is no wonder that a lot of game companies are putting their productive energies into making games for the system. Indeed, companies that a generation ago barely existed are trying to carve out their niche on the system. UFO Interactive is one of these companies, starting a couple years ago with the release of Sudoku Mania. A while back I had the opportunity to buy a few of the games made by UFO at a relatively cheap price, and decided to do so. Underground Pool is one of those games, and I have finally had time to get to it. Was it worth the wait, and is it worth adding to your collection? Read on to find out.

Graphically, Underground Pool is competent although not impressive. The pool tables and pool balls look like they should, and the people, although portrayed in a bit of a cartoony style, look halfway decent as well in the pictures of them, but there is a heavy reliance on still pictures in this game outside of the actual pool matches. You rarely see anything move except for pool cues and balls. Still, the visuals are not atrociously bad and you will not feel like you are missing too much.

On the sound front, there is not really much here. The main sound effect you will have to deal with in this game is the sound of pool balls hitting each other, but, although this sound is done fairly well, it is a very generic sound that would be difficult to do incorrectly. On the music front, most of the music catches the pool lounge feel well, and there are seven different melodies that can be listened to. Although when you begin a match one of the seven themes is chosen randomly, you have the option to change to a different one if you get bored at any time during the match. This is a nice idea, but does not help by much the fact that the sound in this game is pretty average.

In terms of gameplay, this is a pool game. I am going to assume that most people who are reading this know how to play pool, so I am not going to explain it. Underground Pool has two different type of pool in it that can be played: 8-ball and 9-ball. Yep, that is right, Underground Pool only has two different types of pool. This is a pretty big downfall, especially considering that the pool minigame in the Super Monkey Ball series has more than that. In Underground Pool’s defense, however, the DS Super Monkey Ball game does not have pool in it.

8-ball works pretty much the way I would expect it to. 9-ball, however, has two differences from what I have seen before. First of all, if you foul on your first shot three turns in a row, you automatically lose. I have never heard of that rule, but then again, I am not a big pool junkie. Second, it would seem that the programmers of this game think that every other ball needs to be pocketed before the 9-ball, whereas I had always thought you won by pocketing the 9-ball no matter how many other balls were left provided you hit the lowest numbered ball first. At least the game does not make you automatically lose if you knock in the 9-ball prematurely, but only calls it a foul and puts the 9-ball back on the table. One other anomaly in this game is that you are never restricted in either mode as to where you can put the ball after a foul has occurred.

The touchscreen controls work well for the most part in this game, and every option you could possibly want can be affected by it. Occasionally, you will find yourself in a position, though, where you will try to alter one thing and the game will think you are trying to alter something else because it does not know which you are trying to do. In these circumstances, however, you can always defer to the button and D-pad controls to achieve what you want, or you can use those controls throughout if you would prefer as they do work pretty well also.

In terms of what you can do with your shots, everything you could want is here. You can determine the direction and power of your shots, and, if you really want to get complicated, you can affect the vertical orientation of your cue stick as well if you need to perform a trick shot for some reason. If you are not sure which ball or balls you are trying to hit, you can hit an icon to encase every ball you want to hit in a visible ring so you know which ones to go after. You can get hints if you want them. There is even an icon to put chalk on your cue if you so choose.

Although there is a single match mode which can be played against either the computer or another person through DS multi-card play, the challenge mode is probably the main thing in this game. You can play through the challenge mode with 8-ball, 9-ball, or a mix of both. The main problem is that you do not start out with much money, and it is too easy to lose. Add to that the fact that you can not re-enter earlier tournaments to earn more money and you have the makings of a very frustrating experience.

That said, then, this is not a game that is likely to engage too many people for long. If you are a big pool fan, then this game might be just enough to satisfy you, but you are likely to dislike the lack of different types of pool in it. By now there has to be a better pool game out there for the DS, and, if there is not, then I would advise patience until there is. If you are a big fan of pool and can not wait any longer, however, this game may be worth your while if you can find it cheap.